When seeking the best visibility for your daily drive, off-road vehicle or ATV, it pays to educate yourself on the latest LED technology, products and options. This comprehensive guide compares LEDs to other popular lighting technologies, tells you how they work and covers LED light bar applications.

You will learn how to compare quality LED light bars from cheaply made ones. Several informative LED light bar reviews are included also. After reading our ultimate guide, you’ll be able to make an informed purchase decision that matches your application and provides the best bang for your buck.

What is a LED Light Bar and Why Do You Need One?

A light bar is a short or long array of high-luminosity LED lights. These supplement your vehicle’s stock headlamps. They provide a brighter, broader and penetrating beam of light ahead, behind or to the side. They provide a significant advantage for night driving or when illuminating trails, campsites or work areas.

Halogen

Halogen, or quartz-halogen, headlamps are the most common type of lamp found on cars today. They achieve a higher filament temperature than ordinary bulbs. They save fuel and manufacturing costs since wires, switches and alternators can be smaller.

Pros

Relatively low cost

Lifespan over 1000 hours

Increased efficiency

Cons

Waste significant power as heat

HPS

High pressure sodium lamps are commonly used for street lighting. They are highly efficient because nearly all the light produced is within the human visual spectrum. Most lamps augment the sodium with mercury and use neon or argon for faster starting.

Pros

High efficiency

Long life

Cons

Narrow spectrum, unnatural light

Start-up time over 5 minutes

Mercury is highly toxic

HID

High-Intensity Discharge lamps improve on halogen lamps both in efficiency and life. Adjusting the mix of gas and salts produces different color temperatures. Since all the mixtures contain xenon gas, they are often referred to as xenon lamps. The xenon gas eliminates start-up flicker.

Pros

Twice as efficient as halogen lamps

Lifespan over 2000 hours

Wide choice of color

Better directivity

Cons

Dirty lenses produce glare for oncoming drivers

Rare earth elements are costly

Require a DC-DC converter for higher operating voltage

LED

LEDs became practical for road illumination relatively recently but are now a highly efficient automotive lighting option. Modern cars use them extensively for road lights, direction signals and interior lighting.

Pros

Up to 80 percent efficiency in light output

Lifespan over 50,000 hours

Widest color spectrum

Enable millisecond adjustments in light beams

Cons

Expensive, but prices trending lower

Require temperature compensation

Why We Recommend LEDs for Light Bars

If you can pardon the pun, LED lighting outshines its competition in many ways except for initial cost. For road and outdoor lighting, it offers long life and efficient light production, but there are additional advantages.

Type

Lifespan Hrs.

Eff. lm/W

Color Temp

Color Render

Notes

Tungsten-Vacuum

750-1000

6-20

2700

100

Cheap

Halogen

1000-2000

20-35

3000

100

Run hot

HPS

>10000

65-140

1800-2500

20-30

Needs ballast

HID

2000-4000

80-125

2700-5600

60-70

DC converter

LED

>20000

20-160

1100-9000

20-95

Higher initial cost

What the Table above Measures

The efficiency of a particular lamp technology is measured in lumens per watt, which tells you how much light you get for a given amount of electricity.

Color temperature specifies where in the human visible light spectrum the light falls. A lower number indicates a warmer, yellowish light, whereas higher temperature produces a whiter or bluish light.

Color render refers to the ability of a lamp to recreate natural colors at night.

As the table above demonstrates, LEDs, despite higher initial cost, are most cost-effective over their lifetime. They compare well in efficiency with HID lights and, depending on the color temperature chosen, can create nearly perfect rendering of colors. For better understanding, see some comparisons of light bulbs in household.

Other Advantages of LED Lights

Instead of depending on a single bulb, a headlight or light bar consists of separate high-intensity lamps, which increases reliability.

LEDs do not require a ballast or voltage conversion, since they run well at the normal 13.8 volts of most automotive systems. You can run them from portable generators too.

They project their heat rearward, so the lenses are cool to the touch.

LED headlamps and light bars, unlike filament lamps, stand up well to vibration and shocks.

LED Light Bar Applications

LED Light Bars for Trucks

A truck LED light bar is an important accessory whether you use your truck for pleasure, work or both. A light bar mounted across the cab is perfect for illuminating any road on dark nights or lighting up a construction site past sunset.

Mount one on the tailgate for a super bright backup light. A red LED brake light bar significantly increases your visibility to drivers behind you.

ATV LED Light Bars

Two short ATV light bars front and back improve your vehicle’s visibility during darkness or daytime, especially on sunken trails or in dunes. It gives you excellent output when it comes to brightness and light-weight intensity.

You can augment these with red strobe LED light bars mounted high on your equipment.

ATV LED light bars draw so little current that you can leave them on when trailering for extra safety.

LED Light Bars for Other Vehicles

Whenever you need to see your surroundings or be seen, one or more LED light bars makes a big difference. A pair of auxiliary LED amber lamps mounted low will penetrate fog, drizzle and the gloom ahead.

An LED light bar in your trunk, under the engine hood or the car interior lights up every nook and cranny. An LED brake light bar increases reliability over standard brake lights.

Motorcycles and golf carts become safely conspicuous with the addition of strategically placed red, blue or amber LED light bars.

Emergency LED Light Bars

High luminosity and low power consumption make LED emergency lights essential for fire trucks, ambulances, police cars and other public service vehicles.

Emergency LED lights fit in vehicle grills, sun visors, mirrors or on the roof. Choose white, yellow, red, blue or a mix to maximize visibility. Their millisecond on-off cycle time makes them ideal for flashing or strobe applications that alert drivers and pedestrians. Bright white LED light bars will flood incident areas with light.

LED Work Light Bars

A long, curved LED light bar producing 24,000 effective lumens will consume less than 300 watts and draw 22 amps, which is less than most headlight systems. It can flood a large work site with bright light.

Smaller light bars on a truck rack can provide spot lighting or illuminate a truck bed. Add a backup battery or generator, and they are completely portable.

LED Strobe Light Bars

LED strobe lights can be white, red, amber, blue or green, any of which can draw attention to potential hazards. Light flashes can be regular or irregular to alert workers to out-of-spec operating conditions.

Rotating beacons are simulated by electronic sequential switching. Their low power consumption is suited for portable traffic control and construction warning signs.

LED Mini Light Bars

They work well for under-cabinet lighting or to brighten a dark closet. They are often used for outdoor lighting accents around ponds or landscaping.

These can be supplied with power from a small solar panel and sealed lead-acid batteries.

LED Light Bar Types

LED light bars may contain one LED or dozens. The LEDs within a single bar are usually the same size but power sizes and colors can be mixed. For example, a police vehicle light bar may contain white, amber, red and blue LEDs of various strengths. Some or all of these may flash.

Mini Light Bars

The smallest light bars are often referred to as light pods. They are used as side lights, work lights or portable spotlights. Cubes of 4 LEDs are regularly used as fog lamps.

Full-size Light Bars

These are rectangular, enclosed arrays of up to 96 LEDs in a single bar. The LEDs may be arranged in single, double or quad rows.

The best LED light bar used for road or job site illumination has LEDs with a color temperature of 5000K, which simulates sunlight on a clear day. Custom reflectors or lenses spread, focus or diffuse the beam. Two or more beam angles are created in combo bars.

Low-Profile Light Bars

These light bars contain a single row of LEDs and are usually under 20 inches long. Their low profile makes them ideal for vehicle grill mounting.

Colored LED Light Bars

The range of colors available for LEDs runs from deep red to hot blue. There are even LEDs that emit UV and IR light, which often find application at your dentist’s office or for trail cams, respectively.

What Is a Cree LED Light Bar?

In your search for the best LED light bar, you will come across the term Cree light bar. Cree refers to the LEDs in the light bar, not to the brand of light bar. All the light bars in this guide’s LED light bar reviews use a version of Cree LEDs.

Cree, Inc., located in North Carolina, manufactures these powerful, highly efficient LEDs. They are the highest quality, longest lasting, and most efficient LED lighting for homes, businesses and roadways.

The finest Cree LED light bars have an efficiency at the top end of the scale for LEDs approaching 120 raw lm/W. With proper current control, they have a lifespan over 50,000 hours. Unlike cheaply made LEDs, Cree LEDs do not fade early. Despite higher initial cost compared to other LEDs, in the long run they cost less to operate.

As an example, a popular light bar choice is a 20″ Cree LED light bar that contains 40 3-WCree LEDs. This runs at 120 watts and produces 9600 effective lumens.

Flood, Spot or Combo – Which LED Light Bar Do I Need?

Unlike standard screw-in home bulbs, which throw light out in all directions, LED light bars concentrate their light in one direction.

The way the light beam is formed depends on each LED’s reflector and the shape of the lens. Modern light bars use computer-aided designs to achieve specific lighting patterns.

The lighting pattern trade-off for light bars is between distance and beam width. For the same luminosity, more distance requires less beam width and vice versa. When a design favors a wider beam width, you have a flood light. More distance is achieved by narrowing the light beam into a spot pattern.

A flood LED light bar typically has between 40 and 120 degrees of beam width. Spots are around 10 to 30 degrees. Keep in mind that flood and spot degrees vary between different models of led light bars.

So which one is best? It depends on the application. Both are useful and a common choice is to buy one of each or purchase a combo bar that has spot and flood functions combined.

A combo works by assigning the jobs of the spot and the flood light to different sections of the light bar. It can do this by dividing flood and spot reflectors along the bar’s length or by splitting the functions between rows. The best LED light bar of one manufacturer allows you to custom design your flood to spot ratio with swappable reflectors.

Shape

Light bars can be round, rectangular or square. Round ones are able to fit more LEDs in a smaller area and may complement your vehicle’s design better than square lights.

Beam Angle

As discussed previously, the beam angle dictates the width and depth of the area of illumination. For driving, deeper penetration is usually better and to light up work sites a wide angle works well.

Brightness

For LED light bars, brightness is expressed in lumens. Measuring lamps in watts became obsolete when different lighting technologies came to market. The lumen indicates how much human visible light a device outputs. However, some light bar makers list their lights in raw lumens, which is the theoretical maximum, instead of effective lumens, which is a true measure of light output. A rule of thumb is to convert raw lumens to effective lumens by multiplying the former by 0.8.

Efficiency

Lumens per watt, or lm/W, measures the efficiency of a single LED or an entire LED light bar. This is a good, though not perfect, indicator as to the quality of the LEDs in the light bar. Higher efficiency LEDs have a longer life and resist fading. Manufacturers can fudge this number by measuring lumens at a voltage lower than the normal 13.8 VDC found in most vehicles.

LED Color Temperature

Correlated Color Temperature, or CCT, specifies where a lamp’s output falls in the visible light spectrum. The unit of measurement is on the Kelvin temperature scale. Thus, a particular lamp’s temperature is a number followed by a K, such as 5000K.

Cooler light temperatures are at the red end of the spectrum but are perceived by humans as “warm,” whereas higher temperatures are seen as “cool.” LEDs can produce light all over this scale, from about 1000K to 9000K, but only a small range is useful for an LED light bar.

Since the sun on a clear day produces light in the range of 5000K to 5400K, that range is excellent for night driving because human eyes evolved to work well in that range. Above that, around 6000K, the light may appear brighter, but your eyes work harder to recognize terrain, which induces eye fatigue. However, LEDs running at higher CCT are more energy efficient than at lower color temperatures.

Color temperatures in the yellow part of the spectrum are ideal for fog lights because of significantly reduced backscatter from the water droplets. Other temperatures that produce blue, amber, red or green are important for LED lights being used for alert signals.

Water and Dust Resistance

Manufacturers have adopted an IEC standard known as the IP Code, where IP stands for Ingress Protection. Good LED light bars carry an IP rating to indicate resistance to dust and water entering the light.

All you need to be concerned with regarding IP ratings are two numbers. The first, on a scale of 0 to 6, indicates the light bar’s resistance to dust penetration and the second number indicates resistance to water intrusion on a scale of 0 to 8, plus a special 9K rating. You see these numbers preceded by “IP.” For example, a light bar may have a rating of IP67, meaning it is completely sealed against dust and can stand immersion in one meter of water for 30 minutes.

These are typical IP ratings found on LED light bars:

IP65 – dust tight and protected against water projected from a nozzle

IP66 – dust tight and protected against heavy seas or powerful jets of water

IP67 – dust tight and protected against immersion

IP68 – dust tight and protected against continuous submersion in water

IP69K – dust tight and protected against high temperature, close-range, high pressure spray

Electrical Connectors

Two types of waterproof connectors are used on quality LED light bars, which are referred to as ATP or DT connectors. Both types are made from thermoplastic and have IP ratings of IP67 or above. They operate within a wide temperature range and use corrosion resistant contacts and silicone seals. They accommodate several wire sizes.

Light Bar Operating Voltage

Most, not all, LED light bars are made to run within the 13.8 DC voltage supplied by most cars or trucks without modification to the light bar or your vehicle’s electrical system.

For instance, it is common to see “9–30 VDC” or “10-70 VDC” as the bar’s input voltage range. These mean that you can operate the LEDs in a 12V, 24V or 48V system as long as that voltage falls within the specified range for the light bar.

LED Drivers

Do not get the idea that if you apply more voltage that the LEDs should give off more light. The amount of light an LED gives off is determined by current, not voltage. The current at each LED is maintained within a narrow range by a device known as an LED Driver.

Without an LED driver, your light bar’s color temperature and brightness would vary considerably. Sometimes, you see in LED light bar reviews owners who apply higher voltage to brighten their lights. Unfortunately, this is an indication that cheap LED drivers were used and this will shorten light bar lifespan.

PWM Drivers

The most sophisticated LED light bars have LED drivers that use Pulse Width Modulation to control LED current. There are also available external PWM units that effectively do the same thing for LED light bars without built-in PWM.

A PWM adjusts the energy frequency applied to the LED. It turns the LED off and on at a high, controlled rate within milliseconds. The rate is well above what the human eye can detect, so there is no flickering effect. This technology offers several benefits:

LEDs do not overheat even at 100 percent capacity.

LED lifespan is increased.

With an external control, you can dim or strobe the light bar.

Amperage draw is reduced overall

It adds protection against voltage spikes from vehicle electrical systems.

Other Features

There are additional features you should keep in mind when evaluating LED light bar products:

Warranty – Warranty length and terms help you gauge the confidence a manufacturer has in their product.

LED Arrangement – LEDs may be arranged with a single, double or quad row pattern. Multi-row bars often have both spot and flood function.

Wiring Harness – The best LED light bar comes with a wiring harness that includes cables, fuse holder, one or more switches and a relay.

Multiple Circuits – Some light bars separately switch banks of LEDs for spot or flood. They may include amber, red or blue LEDs on a separate circuit.

Color Lenses – Snap-on colored lenses change the light bar’s color.

Multi-position Brackets – Some light bars come with optional brackets or a system of brackets that clamp to channels on the light bar housing.

How to Distinguish a Quality LED Light Bar from Cheap Ones

With so many manufacturers of LED light bars, evaluating your options can be confusing. Hopefully, through reading this guide, you will come to understand the various electronic, mechanical and operating features common to most light bars. The next question is how to determine which LED light bars will give you the best service over their lifetime.

The following characteristics may be difficult to discern if you cannot physically handle a light bar, but often LED light bar reviews from owners can help determine them:

The number one enemy of LEDs is heat. A quality light bar will have oversize heat sinks and tight current control.

If possible, check the operation of a light bar you are considering under different voltage inputs. If the LEDs brighten noticeably as voltage rises, this is a sign of poor LED drivers.

Look closely at mounting points and brackets. The best LED light bar has sturdy, corrosion-proof mounting hardware and provide options for mounting the bar in different locations.

Check the IP rating. At a minimum, it must be IP65. IP69K is the highest rating, but few light bars achieve that. Make sure the electrical connectors are IP-rated.

A wide product line from 3″ light pods up to 50″ bars and plenty of accessories are signs of a quality light bar manufacturer.

Most importantly, check the warranty. Top LED light bar makers back their products with lifetime or near-lifetime guarantees. Be sure to check the fine print for exclusions.

LED Light Bar Brands – Who Makes the Best LED Light Bars?

That is a question without a definitive answer due to the multitude of customer preferences for specific price points, features and applications. This guide has selected seven well-known makers of quality LED light bars to help you decide who makes the best LED product for you.

Black Oak LED

Black Oak LED is challenging the status quo in the high-end LED light bar industry to the benefit of consumers. They are proving to everyone that building a top quality, durable, reliable LED light bar with exceptional performance can be done without charging sky-high prices.

Product Features

The designs, materials and components that go into their products meet or exceed anything the competition offers:

Top-bin, 50,000-hour OSRAM and CREE LEDs

Oversized, integrated aluminum heat sinks

Quality, tight-spec LED driver circuitry

Torture-proof anodized housings

Shatterproof polycarbonate lenses

Custom neoprene case seals

The highest IEC 60529 international standard intrusion rating: IP69K

U.S. Military-standard housing breathers

Three beam patterns: Spot, Flood or Combo

Full IP69K wiring harnesses and stainless steel mounting hardware

30-day cash-back guarantee and lifetime limited warranty

Black Oak’s high standards in build and performance come at prices half what competitors charge for equivalent products.

Black Oak LED Product Lines

Black Oak produces four main product lines:

Single-Row – Black Oak’s S-Seriesfeatures a stealth 2-inch profile and powerful 5W OSRAM LEDs. There are six S-Series lengths from 6 to 50 inches with one LED per inch. Raw lumens output is from 3,300L to solar-bright 27,500L and power from 20W to 250W.

Double-Row D-Series – Black Oak’s most popular line, the D-Series features two stacked rows of ultra-bright 5W OSRAM LEDs in a 3.3-inch housing. Seven sizes range from four inches up to 50 inches with luminosities of 4,400L to a blazing 55,000L and power ratings from 40W to 500W. Curvedand Marine-grade D-Series light bars are available also.

Pods – Black Oak’s compact LED pod lights are four LEDs in a 2×2 pattern encased in a rugged, IP69K, swivel-mount, 3.25×3.23-inch housing. Buyers have a choice of either 5W OSRAM LEDs or super-bright 10W CREE XM-L2 LEDs. Two beam optics are available: High Throw Spot or Wide Flood Optics.

Rounds – Available in 7-inch and 5-inch diameters, Black Oak’s Round LED Light Bars blend spot and flood optics for the ideal blend of long throw and wide coverage. The larger and smaller round light bars feature 32 or 21 OSRAM LEDs, respectively. Buyers can choose either 3W or 5W LEDs. Luminosities with 5W LEDs are 17,600L and 11,550L for the larger and smaller rounds, respectively.

Every Black Oak lighting product comes with a turnkey, IP69K wiring harness that includes cable, relay, fuse and switch. No other maker of LED light bars makes a better product at the value prices that Black Oak offers. Most products receive a further 15 percent discount for military, police and fire organizations.

Rigid Industries

Rigid Industries began producing LED light bars in 2006 and have since become an industry leader with top-rated lighting products made in the USA at their Arizona plant. Their lights are well-rated among off-road enthusiasts. With their acquisition by Penske, they have entered the heavy-duty equipment and commercial vehicle market segments as well.

Product Features

The features embodied in Rigid products are what they call “The Rigid Difference:”

120 raw lumens per watt LEDs with 50,000 hour lifespans

97 percent efficient LED drivers

Oversize, integrated housing heat sinks

Redundant, multi-section circuit board design

Patented Hybrid, Specter and Hyperspot optics technology

Polycarbonate lenses

Molded silicone lens seals

Rigid’s Product Lines

E-Series – This is Rigid’s original LED light bar designed to project long-distance beams. Included in this category are their E2 and M-Series marine LED light bars in lengths from four inches to 50 inches. E-Series lights come in spot, flood or combo patterns, whereas E2 lights utilize Hyperspot and Specter lighting configurations.

D-Series – These are versatile 2×2 or 2×3 LED light pods with a variety of mounting options. The D2-Wide pod with amber LEDs makes an excellent fog light.

Dually X-Series – Duallys are the successors of the D-Series with more and brighter LEDs. The Dually XL Flood features a 3×3 LED array that outputs 2,736 raw lumens of driving light.

Vision X

Vision X LED light bar products are produced in two locations. Design and engineering takes place in the USA, while manufacturing is done at their Asian headquarters. They have built a reputation for the high-quality lights that have been tested by NASA and are in use by military organizations due to their uncompromising solutions. They also make HID and halogen lighting products.

Vision X Products

Xmitter Prime LED Light Bar – This is a dual-row light bar using 3W LEDs housed in an extruded 6061 aluminum housing with shatterproof polycarbonate lens. It comes in lengths of five inches to 43 inches and features bottom stud mounts. Beam options are 10-degree Spot or 40-degree Flood.

Evo Prime Single Stack LED Bar – In lengths from five inches to 51 inches, Vision X’s new Evo light bars feature a single-row of night-crushing, top-bin 10W LEDs, each of which output 1,079 raw lumens of 6000K light. Available beam patterns are 20-degree Spot or 40-degree Flood.

Vision X also sells a single 90W LED round Cannon light that projects a focused beam over 3,000 feet forward.

Baja Designs

Based in San Marcos, CA, Baja Designs has made a name for itself as the “scientists of lighting.” Their HID and LED lights are used on the majority of Baja 1000 winners year after year.

Their light bars use copper backing to wick away LED heat and a U-swap system so drivers can customize optics to suit driving conditions. Their lights are also used in military, industrial and agricultural markets.

Pros

75-90 percent USA components

100 percent USA engineering

O-ring seals

OnX LED lights that rival HID lighting distance

Cons

Dealer buying only

Prices not for the budget-minded

KC HiLiTES Light Bars

KC HiLiTES has been offering high-performance lighting for off-road vehicles since 1974 and are one of the better known brands for halogen, HID and LED lighting.

They operate out of California and offer a full-range of light bar sizes including many made specifically for Jeeps.

Pros

Over 40 years of developing innovative off-road lights

Rugged housings and coatings

Unique 23-year warranty

Order online direct or via authorized online distributors

Cons

Smaller catalog of LED off-road lights than other large manufacturers

Lazer Star Lights

Lazer Star Lights is a division of Weekend Concepts, Inc. They have made LED light bars since 1992 for automotive and power sports enthusiasts.

Their products are used in marine, UTV, motorcycle and construction applications too. Their LX LED line of light bars are manufactured in their Paso Robles, CA plant. Each light product line is named after a Space Shuttle: Atlantis, Endeavor and Enterprise.

Pros

Made in USA

Unique end caps that facilitate side, vertical and horizontal mounting

3 and 10-watt CREE LEDs

Discovery line offers at-factory customizations

Cons

No direct online ordering

Cosmoblaze

Cosmoblaze is an Australian light manufacturer and distributor that develops extremely tough LED light bars. They are one of two manufacturers reviewed here who have lights that achieve IP69K.

Pros

Designs use input from champion 4WD enthusiasts and industry specialists

Oversize heat sinks on all products

Silicone gel specially designed by Dow Corning for lighting systems

5-year warranty

Cons

Only 5 years on the market

Must order from Australian distributor or on eBay

Federal Signal Light Bars

For more than 50 years, Federal Signal has been in the business of offering comprehensive lighting and alert solutions for emergency and work vehicles. Two of their most innovative technology solutions are in reflector design and an 85 percent reduction in connection failure points in light bars. Read our popular Federal Signal LED Light review!

Pros

Decades of technology leadership in EMS lighting

Cons

Limited selection of work lights, no long light bars that are non-emergency use

Best LED Light Bar Reviews by Size

This dual-row 10 inch LED light bar from Black Oak LED is the most energetic, assertive illumination you can buy anywhere. The build quality matches or exceeds that from any other manufacturer on the planet. If you want the brightest, toughest LED light bar that is budget-friendly, this is it.

Regardless of how you mount this power-packed light bar and the jolts and environmental conditions to which you subject it, it keeps on shining. It owns the highest moisture and dust intrusion rating of IP69K.

Black Oak is making an enormous impact in the LED light bar market with lights built to the highest standards with competition-busting pricing. This 10-inch D-Series light bar features the finest circuitry, highest-efficiency optics, brightest and longest-lasting LEDs plus a torture-proof housing. These lights are crazy bright and designed to stay that way for the life of your vehicle. This light bar also comes as a 10-inch curved light bar and a 10-inch linear marine light bar.

Conclusion

Black Oak is the new LED light bar market leader with top-quality builds, super-bright, long-lasting LEDs and hugely competitive pricing. The Black Oak LED 10-inch light bar fits all vehicle types in dozens of applications. It absolutely provides the highest value in LED illumination and durability bar none.

This single, 8-LED 6″ light bar features a 15 degree, medium range beam suitable for on or off-road driving. A pair of these draws 4 amps and puts out 100 lumens more than a 35 W HID lamp. You can order the housing in black, chrome or white. At 3″ tall, it mounts in spaces that other lights of comparable luminosity cannot.

This 10-inch light bar is powerful enough to stand by itself on the hood, bumper or grill of your vehicle. It features a rugged enclosure rated at IP67. With the option of either white or amber LEDs, this light bar is an excellent choice for mid-range illumination of the road ahead.

This Australian LED light is a premium light for trucks, off-road vehicles and heavy equipment. It features 40 US-Made 3-W Cree LEDS arranged in two rows. Low current draw is achieved with high-efficiency LED drivers and 97 percent input power to the LEDs. The heat sinks are double-sized to ensure the LEDs exceed their expected 50,000 hours of operation.

Pros

IP68

Low power consumption

Oversized heat sinks

6063 extruded aluminum housing

Cons

Available only from Australia or eBay

Specs

Feature

Value

Notes

Beam Type

Combo

of LEDs

40

Watts

120 W

Voltage

9 – 32 VDC

Amps

6 A

Lumens (eff.)

8400 lm

Lm/W

70

Harness and brackets

Included

Lazer Star Lights Enterprise 24″ Single Row LED Light Bar

This bar comes in spot, flood or combo configurations with a single row of 12 10-watt Cree SM-L LEDs. It is encased in an aluminum housing with a polycarbonate lens. Each bar has dual power inputs that allow daisy-chaining multiple light bars.

Rigid’s single row product line consists of 3-watt Cree LEDs in a low-profile extruded aluminum case. It includes their patented hybrid optics that utilize computer designed reflectors and front lenses that shape the combo beam. It draws under 9 amps and just under 120 watts to produce 2200 lux at 10 meters.

Eyourlife makes LED light bars for the budget buyer. Their 36″ combo light bar features a quartz lens with high light transmission. They use a channel mount, which allows positioning the mounting brackets anywhere along the length of the bar. These clamp to the bar with two bolts each. Like their other lights, these feature a cool white 6000K temperature and an IP68 intrusion rating.

The Vision X Xtreme LED puts out almost 100 raw lumens per inch from 5-watt Cree LEDs. The build quality is excellent, rugged, dustproof and waterproof. Their Prime Drive integrated electronic thermal management, a PWM system, provides tight current management and long LED life. The PX7240 is the 40-degree flood version, whereas the PX7210 is a 10-degree spot light bar.

With 26,000 effective lumens from 30 Cree XM-L2 LEDs, there is nothing in the darkness out of its reach. A racer at 100 MPH will not outrun the spotlight. It is one of a few light bars with an impressive IP69K rating. It features Baja Design’s uService® replaceable lenses and optics, CopperDrive thermal management and a 5000K natural daylight color.

Pros

IP69K rating

Slight curve to match grill or windshield

Aircraft grade, anodized aluminum housing

Natural daylight color reduces eye fatigue

30-day return, limited lifetime warranty

Cons

Relatively expensive

Specs

Feature

Value

Notes

Beam Type

Flood, spot or combo

uService changeable optics

of LEDs

30

Watts

315 W

Voltage

9 – 32 VDC

Amps

26 A

Lumens (eff.)

26000 lm

Lm/W

83

Harness and brackets

Included

Tips on Choosing the Best LED Light Bar

Obviously, LED light bars are not created equally. Their differences include available options, brightness, light color, beam width, heatmanagement and mountingtechnology, just to name a few. To reduce potential confusion, start with determining your specific light bar needs.

How Much Light Do You Need?

Most 20″ LED light bars provide more than enough light for good or inclement weather when driving on paved roads. Consider starting with a couple of low-mounted 4″ or 6″ flood light bars, which will dramatically increase road visibility. If you do a lot of off-road night driving, then larger light bars, up to 50 inches, are useful.

Mounting Options

On most cars, your mounting options are somewhat limited, so low-profile light bars make sense especially for grill mounting. Trucks can mount light bars on the roof, rack, hood or grill, so size and profile are less important.

Installation of a 30" LED light bar from Bulldog. Mounted on a 2011 Ford F250 Super Duty

Judging Quality

It is true that you could buy 2 or more less expensive light bars for the price of a quality one. However, do you really want to risk light bar failure when you need it the most? Reliability and performance come at a cost.

That said, you can make a rough assessment of a manufacturer’s or distributor’s product quality by looking at three things:

Length of warranty and warranty terms

The breadth of their product line including accessories

Reviews from people who actually use their products

Where Can I Buy an LED Light Bar?

There is probably no better way to make a personal assessment of LED light bars than to get your hands on several of them and judge for yourself their build quality and performance attributes. Do this by visiting local shops that carry the brands in which you are interested. Most shops have cutaway demo models so you can examine the insides, especially the heat sink and current limiting technology.

Before you buy a light bar at your local shop, however, be sure to check the manufacturer’s web site or online outlets such as Amazon or large automotive accessory distributors. These often have specials or large discounts that local shops cannot meet.

LED Light Bar FAQ

Should I Use a Relay with My LED Light Bar?

If your LED light bar came with a wiring harness that includes a relay, then the simple answer is “Yes.” Otherwise, it depends. The purpose of the relay is to reduce the current load on the switch. If the switch’s current rating is more than the current draw of the light bar, then directly wiring to the switch is fine. However, give yourself some leeway by using a switch whose amp rating is 50 percent higher than that of the LED light bar. See our LED wiring guide, to see some in depth info regarding wiring.

Can I Run My Light Bar at a Higher Voltage to Make Them Brighter?

First, never apply AC voltage or exceed the DC voltage range specified for your light bar. LED light bars are designed to operate within a specific DC voltage range. They limit the amperage draw to a narrow current range in order to manage the heat and life of each LED. So, a higher voltage should not brighten your light bar. If it does, then probably the LED drivers are of poor design.

My Newly Installed Light Bar Does Not Light Up. What Should I Do?

Failure for a new light to turn on is usually caused by one of four things: a bad switch, a bad relay, wire that is too small or a bad ground connection. If you can connect the light bar directly to the car battery and it lights up, then the failure is due to one of those four conditions. You may also check out our LED light bar installation guide, to make everything nice and easy.

Making Your Decision

Hopefully, this guide has answered all or most of your questions about how LED light bars work, what kinds of features to look for and how to judge which model is best for your application. The LED light bar reviews here are good examples of the variety of products you can expect to find.

The good news is that if you are shopping for an LED light bar that there are plenty of manufacturers, styles and capabilities to suit any need. The bad news is that too much choice can lead to decision paralysis.

If you are new to LED light bars and cannot take advantage of the advice of friends who already have them, then the best route is to start with smaller, less expensive light bars to get a feel for their capabilities. Also, study LED light bar reviews carefully. Finding manufacturers who offer 30-day hassle-free returns will minimize your risk.

More confident consumers, with this guide and some additional personal research, will be able to find the qualities and capabilities that fit within their budget more easily on the first try.

Whichever type of consumer you are, do your research and take advantage of the many online reviews available to make an informed decision.

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